


Timeless

by muffiny_muffin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Timers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-15 09:37:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18070922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muffiny_muffin/pseuds/muffiny_muffin
Summary: Everyone has a timer on their arm counting down till they meet their soulmate. But what if someone had two?Jaemin, Renjun, and Jeno find out.





	1. Chapter 1

The numbers ticked down, slowly making their way to zero. Everyone had a clock on their wrist, counting down till they meet their soulmate. It was lucky to have a low number. They wouldn’t have to go through years of waiting. But those who did had to patient. The outcome was always the same, no matter what. They all ended up together. 

But what happens when they had two?

When Jeno was born, it was celebrated. His family knew there would be two to cherish him, instead of one. He wore his clocks proudly, not caring what anyone said. 

Renjun’s story was similar. Smiles were given to him constantly. He was never ashamed to show others. It made him giggle at times, knowing he would have two great loves in his life.

They met shortly after they both turned 16. Zeros flashed across their wrists as Renjun walked into the cafe. Jeno had looked up from behind the counter, sputtering a greeting. They took it slow, learning every detail about one another. 

Confusion set in quickly for the couple. As they spent more time together, they knew something was missing. Their personalities didn’t quite fit. They suspected it wa because of the other one. The one that wasn’t with them.

Jaemin’s life hadn’t been as bright as Jeno and Renjun’s. When he was born, his mother took one look at his wrist and turned away in disgust. How could her hat kind of person? She was determined to raise him right. To teach him how it was wrong, what had been done to him.

As he grew up, he spent more time inside. His mother knew he was getting to an age where he could be “turned”. Taught to believe he was aloud to give in to what he was given. That he could love whomever he wished. So she locked him in. Homeschool kept him away from those his age. He wasn’t allowed to go outside ever, for fear he would be too free. Cruel words were thrown to him day and night. Yelling how his soulmates were awful people, and he shouldn’t believe anything they would tell him about loving him.

Love, the one thing Jaemin couldn’t understand. What was it? Why would anyone lie about it? He didn’t once voice any of these thoughts. In general, he didn’t question her. Her word was law. So he went along with what she said, to ignore his clocks, to cover them up and never look at them.

Years passed and Jaemin grew curious of the outside world. What was it like, to go wherever you wanted? All he was left with were the books he was brought, which was why he didn’t know much. But it was his only escape from his boring life. 

Puberty came and went, and son Jaemin was 18. He was finally free. His mother hasn’t specifically told him that that was the age when someone was free, but it had come up in multiple books he had read. He guessed it was accurate enough. 

Telling his mother he was leaving was messy. She yelled for hours, scolding him for such a stupid idea. Jaemin had heard it all before, how she was keeping him safe. How the people he was connected to would find him and force him to do awful things. It went i one ear and out the other. After a solid hour of her continuous talking, he had had enough. 

He walked passed her, to the door. A door he couldn’t even remember going through. Before he could touch the handle, he was hit across the head. He felt his body collapse into the ground, vision turning fuzzy then fading to black.

The floor was cold when he awoke. Laying in the corner of the basement for who knows how long. He tried the doors, which were locked. Why was this happening to him? This wasn’t how someone’s normal life went, was it?

Hours passed before he heard the front door slam shut. She left for work, finally he could do something.

It was dark, so he was barely able to see a few feet in front of him. He had never been down there before. A couple bruises later he found a light switch, turning on a dangling bulb hanging from the ceiling. He noticed windows, boarded up for whatever reason. There was no way he was staying in that house a moment longer.

Tugging on the wood covering the windows made his hands throb, but he kept going. Soon, it came free, revealing a dingy piece of glass. It took all his weight to shatter it, bringing in a rush of air.

He cut himself multiple time crawling through the opening. Blood ran across his hands, making them slip on the grass as he pulled himself up. It’s not like he cared when he was finally free.

Walking on the sidewalk was mildly uncomfortable. Also out in the chilly fall air without a jacket didn’t help, he drew some attention from those passing him, but didn’t stop to wonder. Jaemin didn’t notice them though. He was too busy admiring the new world that was opening up in front of him.

Bright colours attacked his eyes. Hundreds of smells invaded his jose. Excitement pulled him further down the road. Every second he would wonder what he would see next.

Renjun and Jeno were out for a nice evening stroll. With hands intertwined, they walked up and down streets. They talked about their day, and funny things that happened, even when they weren’t speaking, they were calmed by the other’s presence.

In those past few days they’d been conversing about arrangements. They were planning on moving in together, but wanted to wait for their other. Their clocks had mere hours left when they left Renjun’s apartment. Jeno had been shaking with anticipation. They’d spent two years waiting for their third, wondering what they would be like.

So they decided to take a walk, to give them a chance to calm down. They did it often, so much so that they had their route memorized. Of course, sometimes they would feel adventurous and stray off the path, but they both enjoyed the familiar of the sights.

They lost track of time, wandering around the park. Trees rustled in the wind, dropping piles of leaves on the ground. The bench they sat on was situated right under a street lamp, illuminating them as the sun set. City sounds filled their ears as Renjun placed his head on Jeno’s shoulder. They were content, just like that, though they knew it couldn’t last.

It was chilly outside p, so Jeno was surprised to see another person walking towards them. Renjun hadn’t noticed Jeno’s distraction yet, and was still sitting contently beside him. As the boy got closer, Jeno noticed the lack of jacket on him. Was he crazy?

Once they were within speaking distance, both Jeno and Renjun felt their wrists heat up. Wide eyes looked at each other, then to the boy walking past them. He had slowed down, Rubin this wrist before turning to them.

A million thoughts ran through Jaemin’s mind. Why was his wrist warm? And why did it make his heart flutter? Terror crossed his mind when it clicked. The clocks. He hadn’t looked at them in years, but he knew that was it. Why else would the two people on the bench next to him be looking at him the way they were?

What should he do? The thought ran through his mind over and over. Stay? Run? He didn’t know. All he could do was stand there in shock. The two that were in the bench moments ago were making their way toward him. 

His body finally reacted, bolting in the opposite direction. Bare feet against solid ground, ricks tearing up his skin. All the things his mother said came back to him. They were going to hurt him. Or they would think he was awful and disgusting. So he ran as fast as he could, he didn’t know where he was going, but he knew where he didn’t want to be.

Jaemin ran until his legs gave out. Which wasn’t long considering he never had much exercise. He collapsed surrounded by tall buildings. There weren’t many people around to see him fall, and those who did let him be. His vision slowly faded, leaving him laying on the damp pavement.

Renjun and Jeno watched as their soulmate ran off. Heartbroken and confused, they looked at each other. Renjun could feel the hurt oozing off his boyfriend. He looked devastated. Why would he run away? Weren’t soulmates supposed to want one another?

Jeno’s shoulders sagged as he turned away dejectedly. He walked down the path that led home, feet dragging. Renjun’s couldn’t decide who to go after. The boy who would make their lives complete, or his boyfriend, who seemed to be falling apart. He looked back the way the boy ran before catching up to Jeno. Gingerly, he took the hand closest to him, rubbing circles into it. How was he going to fix this?

It was hopeless. Jeno had been holed up alone for three days, mopping about. He wouldn’t even let Renjun in, and that was a stretch. There wasn’t a tune where Jeni didn’t want to see his boyfriend. So, with each passing day, Renjun got more worried.

So he did what he always did when he was stressed, go for a walk. He hadn’t gone for one without Jeno in ages. It felt awkward to be alone, without anyone to talk to or hold onto. Going through the streets calmed him down, but not nearly as much as he needed.

It was only when he was about to turn back when he spotted him on the ground. Renjun only barely recognized the person as the boy who ran away on them days earlier. Relief and worry hit him at the same time. Passerby’s stared as he tried to wake him.

The boy wouldn’t open his eyes, so Renjun improvised. He half carries half dragged the boy back to his apartment. It took time, but Renjun successfully got himself and his new guest into his living room. Once he placed the other on the couch, he ran to grab a first aid kit. On the way back, Renjun noticed the dried blood sticking to his skin and clothes.

After an hour he had him cleaned up. Renjun studied him closely. Fro what he could see, there was nothing to him but skin and bones. Not to mention how sad he looked. Even in sleep he looked upset, as if he’d never seen any happiness. Renjun took his time, running his eyes across his whole body. He saw the boy's wrist was bandaged up, poorly at that.

More of the day ticked away before the boy finally woke up. Renjun had been making soup when he walked passed the kitchen towards the door. As soon as Renjun noticed, he caught the other’s arm. He turned away, getting ready to make a run for it. It took a good grip from Renjun to keep him in place.

“Damn it, calm down” Renjun said with force. That made the other freeze, flicking away from Renjun’s hold.

Jaemin was confused. Where was he? Why would someone move him? And why was this guy here? He recognized the other from the couple in the park. One of the people who would hurt him. 

When he woke up he was prepared to leave. But after seeing the other, that desire increases tenfold. He tried to sneak past, but that plan didn’t work out. So he was stuck there, not knowing what to do. The other had been staring for a few minutes, waiting for him to start talking. It made Jaemin uncomfortable. 

He refused to look at his captor, instead picking at the leather of the couch the two were sitting on. It mesmerized him for a bit, a good distraction from the situation he was in. But he needed to think of an escape plan. There was no way he was staying where he would be hurt. So he was waiting till the other grew tired of watching him. Or maybe he’s read too many unrealistic books.

“Why won’t you say anything?” It seemed the boy grew tired of Jaemin not speaking. “Are you nervous? Because I don’t bite. My name is Renjun by the way. What’s yours?” Renjun mentally facepalmed at how excited he sounded. He was better than that.

The boy only turned to look at him for a second, then went back to tearing at the couch. His face was unreadable, but his body language screamed closed off. Why was he acting like this with his own soulmate?

“Look, I need you to talk to me. You kinda hurt our other soulmate, Jeno. The one that was with me the other night in the park. He’s not feel well because you ran away. So I need you to talk to me so we can work this out, okay?”

Surprise crossed the boys face, before returning to neutral. He had stopped picking at the couch, instead holding his wrist with the bandage on it. 

“Did you hurt your wrist?” Finally, he received an answer. A small shake of the head, then he made eye contact.

“So I don’t have to look at the clocks” The words were almost too quiet for Renjun to pick up, but when they processed he reeled back slightly.

“Why?” Renjun’s voice was shaking as he spoke.

“I don’t know, really” 

“You didn’t do it yourself?” Another shake of his head.

“Why won’t you let me leave?” The abrupt question made Renjun think for a moment.

“Because you ran away from us once, I don’t want it to happen again” 

“What’s do you want from me?” It was the boy’s turn for his voice to shake. He knew he wanted the answer, yet he didn’t.

“You say that like we want to do something bad to you” Renjun was a used, yet concerned because the boy sounded strangely serious.

“You don’t?” Shock was evident on his face, the most emotion Renjun’s seen from him.

“Hell no!” Renjun yelled, startling the boy. Terror crossed his face, and Renjun instantly regretted his volume. “Sorry, sorry. What in the world would make you think that?”

“Um, my mom?”

“You’re mom told you we would hurt you?”

“Yes”

“Why would she say that?”

“Because I’m disgusting” Renjun’s curiosity turned straight into anger. The boy seemed nervous by his reaction, but Renjun didn’t pay any attention to his face after that, since he engulfed the boy in his arms.

“No one calls my soulmates disgusting” 

They sat there for a long while, just breathing. Renjun’s thoughts fired a mile a minute. About his soulmate that was in his arms. Why he would think so little of himself. And what he was going to do about Jeno. So many problems with any solutions. 

“My name’s Jaemin by the way. You asked earlier” The boy mumbled into Renjun’s chest.

“Jaemin. That’s a cute name” Renjun patted the boy, Jaemin’s, head, ruffling his hair.

“Thanks” The answer was more of a squeak, than a word.

“You’re so cute. Jeno will love you”

“Jeno?”

“Our other soulmate. He’s been holed up in his house since the other night, but now that you’re here all will be better”

“Other soulmate?”

“Yeah, you know, the second clock on your wrist. That one belongs to him”

“You’re together?”

“Yep! Have been for two years”

“Oh, then I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you two”

“You wouldn’t. Why would you think that?”

“Because relationships are only supposed to have two people in them” Renjun sighed, lifting Jaemin off his chest, looking him in the eye. Then took his wrist, the one with the bandage on it, and slowly peeled it off. 

“You see these clocks. There are two of them, not one. Which means all, three of us were meant to be together. Not two of us, but three” He rubbed circles over the numbers, all of them zeroes. Jaemin seemed to have calmed down slightly.

“Now, you’re probably hungry. I think the soup is most likely ruined, so we can order in if you’d like”

“Order in?”

“Have food delivered. Do you not know what that is?”

“I don’t know a lot of things”

“Then we better teach you”

The next day the two were knocking at a door. Jaemin shifted on his feet behind him, nerves getting the better of him. Whereas Renjun stood calmly, waiting for the handle to turn. Finally it opened, and Jeno appeared. Renjun couldn’t deny that his soulmate looked like shit. 

“What do you want?” Jeno’s voice was hoarse as he spoke. Only then did he look behind his boyfriend, seeing Jaemin. Both their eyes widen as they took each other in.

“Could we come in?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/muffiny-muffin)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the second chapter!!

When Jaemin first set eyes on Jeno, his heart skipped a beat. He said nothing as he stepped into the apartment, waiting for Renjun to do anything. Awkwardness hung in the air around them for a few moments before Jeno invited them to sit down. His steps were soft as he followed the two. They both didn’t take their eyes off him as he made his way to sit opposite them.

“So, I guess there’s a bit of explanation needed here” Renjun said, looking between his two soulmates.

“Sure is” Jeno agreed, staring at Jaemin with unreadable eyes.

“Well…” Jaemin started, unsure. “Where do I start?”

“Why did you run away the other night?” Jeno asked forcefully.

“Jeno” Renjun scolded. He turned towards Jaemin, hesitant of what his reaction would be.

“It’s okay, you deserve an answer”

It took a moment for him to gather his words. How was he supposed to explain? That he thought they would hurt him? But how would he clarify that? There were too many things to tell, but he didn’t know if they would listen to it all. Why would they? He was just a broken boy, nothing more. And he didn’t want to hurt them when they’d been so kind to him already. Or, Renjun had, he didn’t know about Jeno just yet.

“I guess I didn’t have the greatest upbringing” Jaemin sighed. “My mom always told me those I was connected to would hurt me. So when I saw you in the park, I panicked” He looked down at his hands, fiddling with them. When he looked up, he saw Jeno’s head tilted, as if he was curious. Why would he be curious?

“You mean you thought your soulmates would hurt you?”

“Yeah”

“What else?” Jeno said. Noticing Jaemin’s confused eyes he confirmed. “What else did she tell you about your soulmates?”

“I don’t know, a bit of stuff. She didn’t talk about it often” Jaemin paused, biting his lip. “After I turned seven, she didn’t allow me to go outside anymore. She said people would make me believe I was okay the way I was. That I wasn’t an awful person for having two clocks on my wrist”

Jeno’s eye shone brightly against the light coming from the window, though that’s not the reason they were so striking. Jaemin couldn’t trace the emotion within them, having had so few eyes to search in his life. It hurt him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to tell his own soulmate’s emotions, which was supposed to be the basic connection between them.

“She yelled at me all the time, telling me how I would never be loved. Of course I believed her, since she was my mom. She was the one who was supposed to guide me through my life. So I thought that what she said was going to be what happened to me. That you would hate me for budding in on your relationship. You would be disgusted with me because I was someone you were stuck with. And that you would be disappointed with who I was, since I’m not a very interesting person”

“How often did she tell you we wouldn’t love you?” Jeno’s tears glistened against his skin as they slithered down his face.

“Probably every day, maybe multiple time a day. After a while I started tuning it out, since it was the same every time”

“Oh baby” Jaemin felt warm arms encircle him, squeezing him around the middle. Then another from the other side. Jeno and Renjun has sat bedside him, making a sandwich out of them. Comfort enveloped his mind, calming him to the edge of sleep. He seemed to have tipped over at some point, because soon he was dreaming of soft clouds.

Over the next few weeks, Jeno and Renjun tried to grow closer to Jaemin. Key word: tried. Jaemin was so shy and cute, but that made it tougher for him to let people in. It didn’t help that he hadn’t had interactions with anyone other than his mom for over ten years. So they took their time, waiting for him to open up.

But it was frustrating them, Jeno more than Renjun. He wanted to be able to cuddle both his soulmates whenever he wished, without having to worry about how they’ll react. Or to grab them from behind, squishing the life out of them. But he couldn’t do those things to Jaemin, or anything else for that matter. Renjun wanted to make sure he was completely comfortable in his new home before they got all up in his personal space.

There wasn’t any progress though. Jaemin was just as closed off as when they first found him. What if he never let them in? He voiced his concerns to his boyfriend, who merely brushed them off saying they would get their eventually. What was there for him to do to help? It made Jeno dismal thinking about how Jaemin must feel alone, and how he must’ve felt alone all the years they weren’t with him.

They had multiple talks, the three of them. Most of the time they ended with Jaemin holding himself on the brink of tears. It tore at Renjun and Jeno’s hearts, seeing him like that. When they went to hold him, he would flinch away. Any offering they gave to him was returned. The clothes which were Jeno’s that were just a bit small for him since he started working out. But Jaemin kept his own clothes, the only outfit being the one Renjun found him in. And he almost refused all their cooking as well, until Renjun had calmly explained that he needed to eat. He relented only slightly, barely taking any food when they had a meal. 

“We should take him out” Renjun had suggested one afternoon. Him and Jeno were out shopping, wandering around their local mall. 

“Where?” 

“Did he ever mention what kind of food he likes? We should ask him”

“I’m pretty sure he won’t tell you”

“I know, but it can’t hurt to try”

“I guess not” They hold hands one the way home, silently hoping to cheer Jaemin up.

It took hours of coaxing to get any answer from Jaemin. 

“Chicken, I guess” He replied to their questioning with a small voice.

“Then we’re taking you out for chicken tonight” Jeno said with a wide smile. Jaemin looked more confused than excited, as Renjun thought he would be.

“Why? You didn’t need to”

“We don’t need to, but we want to. So we’re going to get you freshened up. We’ll leave in an hour. That okay with you, Renjun?” Jeno turned from where he had been looking at Jaemin to his boyfriend.

“Yep. I’ll go grab something for you to get changed into” The statement was directed to Jaemin, who frowned.

After some wrangling Renjun and Jeno got Jaemin to changes into the outfit Renjun picked out for him. There were a few laughs from Renjun as Jeno called across the bedroom door to Jaemin, who was refusing to cooperate. It was almost on the hour when they left the apartment, walking to their destination.

Jaemin wanted to keep a safe distance from the couple, but that plan was thwarted as they always found their way closer to him. He gave up ten minutes into their walk, letting the two boys squish him in between them. It almost made him smile, being there with them.

Once they sat down he didn’t know what to do. He had never been to a restaurant before, which Jeno gathered as soon as they sat down. Renjun moved to Jaemin’s side of the booth, showing him the menu. Their server came and went, and soon enough they had their food. 

They ate in comfortable silence. Even Jaemin was enjoying himself, which even he found odd. But he brushed it off, wanting to relish in the rare moment of happiness in his dim life. He didn’t notice Renjun and Jeno staring at him with adoration as he dug into his dish. It was amazing.

Jaemin was in his own world as they traveled along the streets. He didn’t seem to see that they weren’t going straight back to the apartment, or that they were right next to him. The bright lamps had most of his attention, lighting their path to their destination. His expression could pass as a smile if anyone looked close enough.

Soon they arrived at the park, the one where they first met Jaemin. He came out of his trance when he recognized it as such. Confusion clouded his mind, with hints of curiosity flashing every so often. Why would they bring him here? What were they going to do?

His questions were answered as soon as they sat on the bench. Jeno turned to him, pulling him in closer.

“Jaemin, we know we’re only just getting to know you, but we want you to know that we care about you. We care about you deeply. You may think you’re an inconvenience to us, but that’s most definitely not the case”

“Jeno’s right, there’s nothing that will make us not want you. We don’t care about anything your mom told you about us, because she doesn’t know us. I don’t think we’d ever be able to hurt a hair on your head” 

“Do you understand? We want to understand you, to know you better than anyone else ever will. Will you let us in?” Renjun and Jeno looked at Jaemin expectantly. Jaemin didn’t know what to do. They had basically confessed to him, so why should he doubt them. That’s when he realized that he didn’t. He didn’t feel scared of them, or what all three of them were, anymore.

He gave them an nod in acknowledgment, too embarrassed to trust his voice. Then he was crushed by them in a hug. It sounded to him like one of them was crying, or possibly both of them. He finally gave in and smiled. A smile to brighten the entire world, as Jeno later explained.

So they lived, woven together tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/muffiny-muffin)

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/muffiny-muffin


End file.
